So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Cor 15:58)

Friday, 11 July 2014

Today Reminder – 11 July 2014 (Day 09 – War)

A
reminder for today

O
LORD, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you
should think about them? For they are like a breath of air; their days are like
a passing shadow. (Psalm 144:3-4)

Our personal battles may cause us to use these words more
often than we think. When we are in die midst of our troubles we can easily end
up in a place of self-pitying where we feel that we are nothing and why should the
Lord bother with our unimportant existence. How do you feel today, my friend?

I remember a time when I was burdened by many obstacles
and I recall using the exact same words. Why would the Lord waste His time on
someone like me? Why would the Lord help someone that has done so much wrong? Now
think about this: every battle has a strategy, right! Every commander needs a
plan to defeat the enemy and to make sure that the enemy’s resistance is
destroyed. Now if you think about wars in the middle ages and the time of the
Roman Empire. They used foot soldiers to storm the enemy lines, but before that
the will fire a large number of arrows into the attacking enemy to take out as
many of them as possible so that their force is weakened.

Now let us return to today. You are fighting a battle every
day and your enemy is a cunning relentless and hungry lion that devours anyone
at any given chance. To break your resistance he will fire arrows from a
distance to make you weak. Now this comes in many forms like problems and
desire and need and sickness. He will use anything that is available to get you
in a place where you are vulnerable. Then he will start with new strategy. He will then
start to tell you how bad you are and that God does not love you and will never
forgive you up to the point where you fall completely.

Today in your battles know and remember this. Your fight
is not yours alone. Your fight is God’s fight. He gave up His Son for you so
that the enemy will have no hold on you. Now when these thoughts enter you mind
where you start to wonder about that – stop – and look up. See the cross of
Jesus and remind the enemy where he's final destination is going to be. You have
no reason to doubt God and His love for you. You have no reason to sulk and
allow the enemy to confuse you. Do not listen to the lost, but listen to our
living God. When you are down, stand up and look up. Our time here is a mere
breath and there is no reason for us to accept defeat. God is on your side and
never your enemy. He will love you always and forever and in that He loves
unconditionally.

Rise mighty warrior, and let us walk into today’s battles
fearless and without any doubt.

Book for the month

Many Christians feel bombarded by the messages they hear and the trends they see in our rapidly changing world. How can we resist being conformed to the pattern of this world? What will faithfulness to Christ look like in these tumultuous times? How can we be true to the gospel in a world where myths and false visions of the world so often prevail? In This is Our Time, Trevin Wax provides snapshots of twenty-first-century American Life in order to help Christians understand the times. By analyzing our common beliefs and practices (smartphone habits, entertainment intake, and our views of shopping, sex, marriage, politics, and life’s purpose), Trevin helps us see through the myths of society to the hope of the gospel. As faithful witnesses to Christ, Trevin writes, we must identify the longing behind society’s most cherished myths (what is good, true, beautiful), expose the lie at the heart of these myths (what is false and damaging), and show how the gospel tells a better story – one that exposes the lie but satisfies the deeper longing.

Movie of the month

The pre-ministry life of Jesus from his baptism with John the Baptist to his exploration of the wilderness